15,268 seek admission to the Class of 2008

by Kristen Cole

The French would call it "la promotion de 2008" - the Class of 2008 - and their use of a feminine article would be perfectly appropriate.

Some 2,440 more women than men applied to "la promotion de 2008." It has been a dozen years since applications from men outnumbered those from women, but back then, the difference was barely 100 applicants.

Women make up 58 percent of those vying to walk through the Van Wickle Gates in the fall - 8,854 applications compared to 6,414 applications from men. Letters to applicants accepted from the total applicant pool of 15,268 will be mailed April 1.

The gender imbalance is now a familiar trend. Whether it will continue in the near future, "I am just not sure," said Michael Goldberger, director of admission.

"I do know that more males than females are attracted to the sciences and as we announce more great programs like the Marine Biological Laboratory we may find that more males will apply," he said. "However, only time will tell."

Of those who applied for acceptance to the incoming class, 35 percent noted an interest in science and math; 24 marked humanities; 21 percent, social sciences; 7 percent, engineering; and 13 percent, undecided.

Just 22 percent of those who applied indicated an interest in a bachelor of science degree as opposed to 69 percent interest in a bachelor of arts.

There was a slight increase in the number of students requesting financial aid this year, reflecting Brown's move to need-blind admissions and the nation's economy, said Goldberger. A total of 10,149 students applied for financial aid. The Class of 2008 will be the University's second need-blind class.

Sixty-seven percent of applicants sought financial aid this year, compared to 66 percent of the students who submitted applications for the Class of 2007. Within the last five years, the lowest percentage of requests for financial aid - 62 percent - was from applicants to the Class of 2005.

This is also the second year in which the Admission Office has tallied the number of students applying online. Last year, about one-third of applicants submitted their materials electronically. That rose to 41 percent this year.

Minorities make up 29 percent of the applicants. As in the last few years, Asian Americans continue to make up the largest ethnic group, at 17 percent, followed by African Americans at 6 percent, Latino Americans at 6 percent, and Native Americans at less than 1 percent. Fifteen percent of applicants did not categorize their ethnicity.

Ten percent of the applicants this year hail from countries other than the United States. Among U.S. applicants, the two states with the largest number were California, with 14 percent (2,145 submissions), and New York, with 13 percent (2,040 submissions).

Sixty-one percent of the students who applied to the Class of 2008 attend public schools; 25 percent attend private schools; 9 percent, parochial schools; and the remaining percentage have other educational arrangements.

The pool of applicants was largely the same as last year, said Goldberger. Except for the notable increase in the number of online applications, many of the other numbers remained consistent with last year. About 12 percent of the last two applicant pools sought early admission.

The students who are accepted to the Class of 2008 have until May 1 to respond. The University is expecting a class size of 1,430.